PRECIOUS MOMENTS

There comes a time when some of us are a bit sick of fine dining. Once in a while, dressing up and spending a fortune on a special menu at one of the Michelin-starred restaurants around town is great, but the trend now is to go for the more laid-back venues, where we can enjoy a meal wearing a t-shirt and shorts after a dip in the pool.
At SOHO, City of Dreams’ new vibrant dining and entertainment district, the atmosphere is quite relaxed. After several minutes of walking around the area, I decide to hop over to the Lobster Bar to try out some of their signature dishes. Known as the “King of seafood,” lobster is the star of all the dishes at the bar. There are 40 varieties of lobster known to man. With the differences in origins, water quality and climate, the texture and the taste of lobsters vary.
Freshness speaks for itself – what makes a good restaurant lies on the quality of the ingredients. Moreover, it is important for the lobsters to live in a clean eco-system that maintains a perfect temperature range and high oxygen level all year round. Lobster Bar collects a wide variety of fresh lobsters from around the world, flown in daily from Boston, Australia and France.
Looking extremely professional and serious, Chef Nadia Frisina comes over to our table and starts to explain the differences in details.
“The Boston lobster is a sweet lobster, and it can be prepared in many ways. The blue lobster’s texture is softer, so that’s better for tartare. For those who fancy firmer texture, you may consider trying the Australian lobster. They are from the subtropical and tropical regions of Australia. The best way to prepare an Australian lobster is to simply boil it to retain the freshness of the lobster,” she says.
There are various cooking techniques to create the best lobster dish in order to exceed expectations. What’s surprising about Chef Frisina is that although she is an Italian woman, she knows exactly how to use Chinese and Asian cooking methods to her advantage in western cuisine. Her dishes are the ideal definition of “Fusion”, perfectly blending eastern attitude towards food to western culinary art.
Asian elements such as curry can be found in two dishes, the Cantonese style lobster fried rice and spicy lobster. Prepared tandoori style, the spicy lobster is made with influences from Indian cuisine; however, the flavors are not so intense. In other words, the taste of curry does not overwhelm that of the lobster. Ginger is incorporated into the fried rice for a rich aroma. With green beans, eggs, and soy sauce, the rice complements the lobster beautifully. Finishing the meal with cheesecake and fresh fruit, we are wonderfully delighted by the character and individuality of the items on the menu. Consider it a one-of-a-kind seafood experience, because delicacies at the Lobster Bar are all precious and rare.